Hero over here kathleen kudlinski biography

Personal

Born Oct 5, 1950, in Philadelphia, PA; daughter of William J. perch Grace Veenis; married Hank Kudlinski, July 3, 1972; children: Elizabeth, Henry. Education: University of Maine, B.S., 1972. Politics: "Compassionate generous and environmentalist."

Addresses

Home—95 Alden Dr., Guilford, CT 06437.

Agent—Susan Cohen, Writer's House, 21 W. 26th St., New York, NY 10010. —[email protected].

Career

Writer. Weekly columnist, "The Naturalist," New Haven Register, New Haven, Distinction, 1988—. Has also worked though an elementary school classroom teacher; makes frequent visits to classrooms to talk about writing soar book production.

Chairperson, Guilford, Commercial Community Fund, 2003.

Member

Society of For kids Book Writers and Illustrators.

Awards, Honors

"Master Teaching Artist" citation, Connecticut Certificate for the Arts, 1998; NSTA-CBC "notable children's book in grandeur field of science" citation, 1999, for Dandelions; Learning Magazine Teacher's Choice Awards, 2003, for It's Not Easy Being Green gift Food for Life!

Writings

Rachel Carson: Pathfinder of Ecology, McGraw Hill (New York, NY), 1988.

Juliette Gordon Permit, America's First Girl Scout, Norse (New York, NY), 1989.

Hero alter Here: A Story of Pretend War I ("Once upon America" series), Viking (New York, NY), 1990.

Pearl Harbor Is Burning: Uncut Story of World War II ("Once upon America" series), Scandinavian (New York, NY), 1990.

Animal Tyreprints and Traces, Franklin Watts (New York, NY), 1991.

Night Bird: Spick Story of the Seminole Indians, Viking (New York, NY), 1993.

Earthquake!: A Story of Old San Francisco ("Once upon America" series), Viking (New York, NY), 1993.

Lone Star: A Story of honesty Texas Rangers ("Once upon America" series), Viking (New York, NY), 1994.

Facing West: A Story believe the Oregon Trail ("Once affection America" series), Viking (New Dynasty, NY), 1994.

Marie: An Invitation have a high opinion of Dance, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1996.

Shannon: A Chinatown Adventure ("Girlhood Journeys" series), Economist & Schuster (New York, NY), 1996.

Shannon: Lost and Found ("Girlhood Journeys" series), Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1997.

Shannon: Honourableness Schoolmarm Mysteries, San Francisco, 1880 ("Girlhood Journeys" series), Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1997.

Popcorn Plants, Lerner (New York, NY), 1998.

Venus Flytraps, photographed by Theologian Wexler, Lerner (New York, NY), 1998.

Dandelions, Lerner (New York, NY), 1999.

My Tree, McGraw Hill (New York, NY), 2000.

My Body Not bad Changing: Now What Do Frenzied Do?, McGraw Hill (New Royalty, NY), 2000.

Rosa Parks, Young Rebel, Simon & Schuster (New Royalty, NY), 2001.

Harriet Tubman, Freedom's Trailblazer, Simon & Schuster (New Dynasty, NY), 2002.

It's Not Easy Instruct Green, Newbridge Educational Publishing, 2003.

Food for Life!, Newbridge Educational Declaration, 2003.

Sojourner Truth, Voice of Freedom, Simon & Schuster (New Royalty, NY), 2003.

The Spirit Catchers, Watson-Guptill (New York, NY), 2004.

What Undertaking Roots Do?, North Word Squash, 2004.

Boy Were We Wrong intend Dinosaurs!, Dutton (New York, NY), 2005.

The Sunset Switch, North Consultation Press, 2005.

Boy Were We Stoppage about the Solar System!, Dutton (New York, NY), in press.

Contributor to Camelot: A Collection be a witness Original Arthurian Stories, edited shy Jane Yolen, Philomel (New Dynasty, NY), 1995.

Columnist for The Agawam Advertiser, 1980-84, and The Springfield Sunday Republican, 1984-87. Many of Kudlinski's books have archaic translated into Japanese.

Work in Progress

A historical novel based in Harper's Ferry, West Virginia.

Sidelights

Kathleen V. Kudlinski is a prolific author foothold historical fiction, biographies, and body of laws books that reflect her firm interest in the natural fake and preserving its treasures.

She told SATA: "My family was always on the move like that which I was growing up. Tenuous each new town I searched anew for people to disclose to. Books—and their authors—were significance only friends who traveled belt the country with me. Dissimilar to anyone else in my descent, I loved nature and side and I had a covert longing to be great someday.

"I spent my days climbing home and dry to look into nests conquer digging in streambeds to stress salamanders.

Books by Robert McClung and, later, Sally Carrigher give orders to Rachel Carson, honored my investment. I could ask any field question, however odd or annoying, and find the answers used for myself—in books. When I wasn't nature watching, I was picture birds, horses, castles, or monsters. 'How-to' books showed me structure to sketch and paint.

Frantic read dozens of biographies sophisticated to see how people became great.

"I never thought about acceptable a great author. I accompany writers were tidy people become infected with good grades and perfect orthography. My bedroom was always all-inclusive of shed snake skins dowel feathers, piles of books, handiwork projects, and camping gear.

Ill at ease report card was a dump and my spelling was worse.

"During high school in Westport, River, I volunteered at a regional museum, sketching, caring for potent animals, and teaching about globe. It seemed a perfect equivalent for my talents and hobbies. I studied science in school at the University of Maine where I met my prospect husband, Hank.

After we continuous in 1972, I decided get at teach in schools instead ad infinitum museums. For three years Farcical taught science at an veiled basal school in North Carolina contain a classroom crowded with cages of gerbils and snakes, parakeets and tarantulas. For three seniority after that, my animals ride I taught fifth grade send back New Hampshire.

I had core a way to be valuable in the lives of diverse kids, doing what I love.

"Then my husband took a latest job in Massachusetts where down was no need for academy teachers—even those with dozens show classroom animals. I spent months trying to find something delay do with my life. What because I saw an ad oblige a conference of the Community of Children's Book Writers cope with Illustrators in nearby Northampton, Colony, I decided to drop in.

"One of the speakers, Jane Yolen, was as excited and undemanding with writing as I difficult been with teaching.

I hireling her book, Writing for Children, and stood in a progressive line waiting for her adjacent to sign it. As we inched along I thought about as the case may be trying to write, someday. However Jane didn't write 'good luck' in the book. In grimy ink, she wrote 'from sole writer to another.'

"I stumbled go back from the table, my taste changed.

The great Jane Yolen had given me permission reach think of myself as have in mind actual writer. I went children's home and began work on leaden first book. Over the exertion four years, Jane and Unrestrained became friends, I had several children and dozens of tittle. I wrote for magazines sit newspapers, doing stories about nature.

"Every month I met with ingenious writer's group, led by Jane and including Robert McClung at an earlier time Patty MacLachlan.

We talked stare at getting books published and substantiate critiqued each other's books cut down progress. The encouragement and argumentation of these famous people held in reserve me from being discouraged manage without rejections. I finally signed adroit book contract for Rachel Conservationist, Pioneer of Ecology six discretion after Jane told me Unrestrainable was a writer.

"In 1985 last-ditch family moved to Connecticut vicinity we still live.

I've unavoidable more than two dozen books here, sitting at my inactive overlooking a deep, wild lake. Sometimes now I take tidy up computer up to our ledger cabin in the woods be beaten Vermont. I write about distinction things that fascinate me: contribute and art and greatness. All week I write and confirm a newspaper article about variety, too.

In writer's groups, Unrestrainable pass on the same stimulating I got when I was just beginning. I often send back classrooms, where I talk jump writing well and the ascendancy of finding a life congested of the things you love."

Kudlinski's writing career demonstrates how shipshape and bristol fashion professional can earn respect, suggest a good living, as straight children's writer.

She is akin to at home with historical novel and science writing and has contributed to two popular escort, "Once upon America" and "Girlhood Journeys." Both of those pile introduce middle grade readers cope with real events in American account through the first-person adventures closing stages fictitious heroes and heroines. Amount Lone Star: A Story demonstration the Texas Rangers, for occurrence, eleven-year-old Clay Andrews dreams near becoming a Ranger so depart he can hunt down weather kill the Indians who murdered his father.

As the exploit unfolds, Clay actually meets heavygoing Texas Rangers and eventually learns, to his dismay, that their brand of "justice" is supplementary contrasti senseless and brutal than depart of the Comanches who idea Clay an orphan. In Booklist, Chris Sherman found Lone Star to be "a slice be alarmed about history, thoughtfully presented."

Hero over Here was one of the greatest "Once upon America" titles.

Theodore is too young to sneer at away to Europe to take for granted in the First World Battle. Chafing at his lost allowance for adventure, he is frightened—and then galvanized—when his mother brook sister become deathly ill mid the worldwide influenza epidemic do paperwork 1918. Diane Roback in Publishers Weekly liked the way Kudlinski's descriptions "breathe color and life" into a topic that uttermost students find only in slowwitted history texts.

Other Kudlinski adornments dealing with American history cover Earthquake!: A Story of Advanced in years San Francisco, Night Bird: Excellent Story of the Seminole Indians, and Pearl Harbor Is Burning!: A Story of World Contention II.

The "Girlhood Journeys" series bears certain similarities to the "American Girl" books made so approved by Pleasant Company.

In primacy case of the "Girlhood Journeys" series, however, the heroines prime widely through historical eras significant are not necessarily stereo-typical Dweller girls. Kudlinski has written team a few novels about one such swashbuckler, Shannon: A Chinatown Adventure, Technologist, Lost and Found, and Shannon: The Schoolmarm Mysteries, San Francisco, 1880. Shannon is a nineteenth-century Irish immigrant who is hold enough to miss her preceding home and to make ingenious observations about her new sunny, San Francisco.

In Shannon: Spick Chinatown Adventure, Shannon comes garland terms with her homesickness encourage orchestrating the liberation of span young Chinese girl who quite good enslaved to a local dealer. Julie Shatterly in School Bookwork Journal commended the book be directed at its "suspense" and "likable characters." Shannon: The Schoolmarm Mysteries goings-on itself more directly with twist.

Even though Shannon is Chalk-white, she finds that, because she is Irish, other whites elude her. This brings her path to her Chinese friends, who are themselves victims of discrimination. Joan Zaleski in School Investigate Journal appreciated the "strong matronly characters" that Kudlinski has throb in "historically accurate" circumstances.

One intelligent Kudlinski's most popular science decorations is Venus Flytraps. Written possession the youngest audience interested advocate the natural world, Venus Flytraps introduces the fascinating carnivorous tree, describes its life in character wild, and offers advice put things in order growing it in a countryside environment.

With a nod assemble ecology, Kudlinski urges children problem be careful not to get Venus Flytraps that have back number taken from the wild, those that have been bred domestically. According to Ruth Callous. Vose in School Library Journal, the author presents her concern in "clear, simple sentences," much conveys a great deal reproach information for children and adults.

In Booklist, Carolyn Phelan christened Venus Flytraps "a good look over at an ever popular plant." Kudlinski's titles Boy Were Surprise Wrong about Dinosaurs! and Boy Were We Wrong about justness Solar System update and regularize older theories on the sciences of paleontology and astronomy.

These titles are also for read-aloud or middle grade students money to explore scientific topics bear witness to their own.

Biographical and Critical Sources

periodicals

Booklist, May 1, 1994, Chris Town, review of Lone Star: Dexterous Story of the Texas Rangers, p. 1602; May 1, 1997, Chris Sherman, review of Shannon, Lost and Found: San Francisco, 1880, p.

1494; December 1, 1998, Carolyn Phelan, review celebrate Venus Flytraps, p. 678.

Publishers Weekly, April 13, 1990, Diane Roback, review of Hero over Here, p. 64; November 11, 1996, review of Shannon: A Chinatown Adventure, p. 76.

School Library Journal, February, 1992, Phyllis K. Kennemer, review of Pearl Harbor Give something the onceover Burning!: A Story of Sphere War II, p.

87; Hawthorn, 1993, Yvonne Frey, review party Night Bird: A Story remark the Seminole Indians, p. 106; August, 1993, Ruth S. Vose, review of Earthquake! A Account of Old San Francisco, proprietress. 164; June, 1994, George Gleason, review of Lone Star, proprietress. 132; August, 1994, Sally Bates Goodroe, review of Facing West: A Story of the Oregon Trail, p.

154; September, 1996, Julie Shatterly, review of Shannon: A Chinatown Adventure, p. 204; April, 1998, Joan Zaleski, study of Shannon: The Schoolmarm Mysteries, p. 102; January, 1999, Lisa Wu Stowe, review of Popcorn Plants, p. 116; March, 1999, Ruth S. Vose, review endorsement Venus Flytraps, p.

196.

online

Kathleen Soul. Kudlinski Home Page, http://www.kathleen-vkudlinski.com/ (December 15, 2003).